Eight string ukulele

Hello. I'm shopping for a tenor ukulele as arthritis has made playing guitar difficult for me now. As I shop, I've ran across eight string ukuleles. I'm having a difficult time researching if the neck is the same size as a guitar or smaller? Does anyone know if the neck is as wide? I also see six string ukuleles but they all have Kulu electronics and I don't want anything acoustic, if that is what that means. The salesperson I am working with is not a knowledgable as I would like but I'm limited to using this one particular music store. Thank you.

An eight-string instrument will require a greater strength of grip, simply because there's more strings to push down, especially if you're strumming chords rather than playing medley.
I don't have an eight-string ukulele, but my mandolin has a similar neck-width to my tenor ukulele, if that's any help, about 34mm, whereas my guitars are closer to 40mm.
For what it's worth, I too suffer from arthritis in my left hand and often find it easier to play my steel-strung guitar for extended periods than my ukulele, but that may simply be down to being "moulded" to the guitar that I've had since the early '70's, the ukuleles are a much more recent entertainment

Is it possible to advertise locally for a 5 or 10 minute "borrow" of a few instruments, just to try them for comfort?

Good luck

There are those who will wax lyrical about the ability to play a double shuffle with a split fan and a tight G-string ...
it just makes me walk funny!

Thank you so much for the information. This has been extremely helpful. The reason I mentioned a tenor ukulele is because I told someone who was apparently well informed on ukulele's that my voice was either alto, or lower and he said I should buy a tenor. Suggesting a baritone uke is a wonderful idea. I didn't even think about the different types of strings. When I was talking acoustic, I meant I don't want to have to plug anything into a speaker. I just want a mellow, smooth uke that's well made, strung properly and will last. I write music and I've not been able to use my guitar because of arthritis in shoulders and wrists so I've not been able to create the melodies. Thank you again.

I replied earlier to your post but it somehow disappeared. Anyway, thank you so much for mentioning the mandolin. That was extremely helpful. I was going to buy a mandolin but I wasn't sure if I wanted to learn a new instrument all over again. The arthritis is also in my shoulders so even holding the guitar has been difficult. It's not possible for me to borrow a few instruments but I did find a music store where I might be able to check a few out. And I didn't realize that an eight string would require a stronger grip. Thank you for mentioning that.

Thank you so much for the information. This has been extremely helpful. The reason I mentioned a tenor ukulele is because I told someone who was apparently well informed on ukulele's that my voice was either alto, or lower and he said I should buy a tenor. Suggesting a baritone uke is a wonderful idea. I didn't even think about the different types of strings. When I was talking acoustic, I meant I don't want to have to plug anything into a speaker. I just want a mellow, smooth uke that's well made, strung properly and will last. I write music and I've not been able to use my guitar because of arthritis in shoulders and wrists so I've not been able to create the melodies. Thank you again.

I have an 8 string concert taropatch uke from Pono and love it. It does take a bit more umph to play 8 strings over 4 but it isn't bad compared to a steel string 6 or 12 string guitar. A baritone with flourocarbon or other strings might be the best fit though. A tenor is tuned just like a concert or soprano but has a more space to finger chords. I also have a Martin tenor and both that uke and my taropatch have a pretty thin neck. I haven't played a baritone though.

Thank you. I did play a 12 string guitar back in the 80's. I found some YouTube videos on taropatch and also tenor vs soprano vs baritone. I have a lot more research to do. The 8 string did sound nice but I'm thinking I'll start with a 4 while learning and then add to my family of ukulele's once I get good. I do like the taropatch videos I've watched. Thanks again.

Thank you for your reply. The arthritis in my right shoulder and right elbow makes it impossible for me to extend my arm over the guitar whether I'm sitting or standing. My ortho doc and we even worked on my resting my right leg on a stool but no matter what, the pain was too severe. Same goes with the wrists. Besides width of the neck, I do have difficulty putting pressure on the strings so I'm beginning to think that although an eight string is what I had hoped for in the first place, I might need to rethink that idea. I need something small that I can rest in my lap, and a longer extension from shoulder to the body.

I think you should try to get to a Guitar Center and try some things like Cordoba Mini and Yamaha GL-1 to see if a small bodied 6 string would work. FWIW, I happen to have a Mini for sale at the moment, but it has a wide classical neck so may not work for you.